Fourth-century Athens has traditionally been seen as a city in decline, critically short of the revenue needed to fund its democracy, festival program and war. The costs of war-making in particular were exceedingly high and, without its tribute-bearing empire, difficult to finance. Yet Athens at this time initiated an ambitious foreign policy and went to war more often than it had previously. Using primary evidence from the 370s and drawing on recent debates on the politics and finances of fourth-century Athens this paper seeks to identify and, where possible quantify, sources of revenue used to fund Athenian war-making during this time. In doing so this paper will highlight the innovative measures and reforms put in place by the Athenians to cope with the decline of their traditional sources of revenues.

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